Urseminite
No species is reviled quite so much as the Urseminites. This fact is at odds with an Urseminite’s first impression—at least if that first impression involves only seeing the creature. An Urseminite is small, about three or four feet tall, and looks remarkably like a living teddy bear. They’re short and pudgy, covered in soft fur that ranges from pink to brown, and everything about their physical appearance is completely non-threatening. They have no claws, and their teeth aren’t pointed. It’s widely theorized that the Urseminites are a genetically-engineered species, created for the express purpose of being pets or perhaps nannies. This seems likely, because nobody knows of an Urseminite homeworld—these creatures live in small communities on various worlds, as well as in the space lanes themselves—and nobody really knows anything about Urseminite history or heritage. However, if they were engineered for domestic purposes as the theory goes, something went horribly wrong with the process, because their personalities could not be more contradictory to their appearances. Urseminites revel in vice. They smoke huge, disgusting cigars that they roll themselves; they drink to excess; they hit on everything that moves; they pick fights; they lie, cheat, steal, and kill—all for amusement and personal gain. Urseminites are selfish creatures, and some think that something within the Urseminite brain prevents them from empathizing with other creatures or from realizing that other creatures are not mere playthings for their own grotesque amusement. Most species want nothing to do with these cuddly villains, giving them wide berth when they see them. Some individuals recognize, however, that the Urseminites do have their uses. For all their small and non-threatening stature, Urseminites are notoriously vicious in battle, and packs of them can take down seemingly superior foes in a surprisingly short time. They are often pirates and mercenaries, and there are some who take advantage of their willingness to undertake any job, turning a blind eye to the Urseminites’ methods. Thankfully, compared to the other major species of the galaxy, Urseminites are rare. They have no homeworld, and groups of Urseminites larger than five or six are almost unheard of. It’s likely that these creatures even begin to hate each other after a while, and this, fortunately, prevents them from amassing any kind of sizable force. Their small numbers are suppressed further by the Templari and the Saldrallans, both of whom frequently put bounties on the heads of Urseminites. The Saldrallans specify that these Urseminites must be proven pirates or criminals, since there are a rare few who do legitimate work for the Empire. The Templari, however, make no such distinction and are content to try to hunt the Urseminite species into extinction. So far, they haven’t been successful. Urseminite Names Urseminites don’t take family names. As befits their general attitude, the individual is all that matters. Here are some sample names. MALE NAMES: Bres, Corl, Doom, Doonfa, Drevid, Falik, Grevid, Gun, Hebrid, Kalik, Korvid, Lar, Mar, Murd, Palik, Par, Sar, Savid, Trun, Van. FEMALE NAMES: Bada, Bandi, Bedla, Blada, Caldi, Dani, Drandi, Folli, Goll, Hansi, Horra, Mala, Meda, Moll, Piska, Slandi, Terra, Tora, Tori, Traski.